There’ve been debates. True, more than just debates – there are policy proposals on the table. A lot can happen between now and January 1, 2020.

What are the triggers?

March 2018: Facebook made international headlines for letting Cambridge Analytica steal millions of personal data off its users without the users’ knowledge. Congress says it is unfair to users and intends to crackdown on tech companies.

June 2018: California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) passed giving residents (GDPR-style) rights and more control over their personal information including the right to take legal action against companies in the event of a data breach. Tech companies are vexed and want to get rid of CCPA.

Who is pushing for a federal digital privacy regulation?

The current administration has released its own proposal.

Intel, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Twitter and Google; and the Chamber of Commerce have come up with their own framework for the bill in hopes a softer federal regulation will be more friendly to tech firms and preempt or override stricter state laws including CCPA before it get’s enforced on January 1, 2020.

Where do privacy advocates and consumer rights group stand on the matter?

Consumer rights groups are not against having a harmonizing baseline regulation. However, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) says states should be allowed to pass stricter laws where federal law does not provide sufficient coverage.

What will this mean for your business?

You won’t know for a little while so keep working on your data privacy compliance and pay attention to sector laws and state laws. If in doubt, ask us. Let’s see how things unfold in 2019. Happy New Year in advance.